


Sunny Sea Romance

by holographics



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-09 07:16:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14711555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holographics/pseuds/holographics
Summary: A mermaid becomes fascinated with Kaoru.





	1. Princess of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaoru unknowingly attracts the affections of a mermaid.

“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?”

Summer had just arrived, and it was as hot as ever. The sun’s rays beamed down harshly, warming up the pavement in the quiet streets of Jeulit. Many a passersby wiped their brow as they walked down the avenue, passing a quick glance at the event taking place on the nearby platform.

“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

A cool breeze drifted through the platform, chilling those that caught the draft. An actress sharpened her skills during practice on a cramped stage that overlooked the village. Her hair that blew in the breeze was a deep purple that was similar to royalty. It was put up in a ponytail that left some hair on the sides and back, giving her a very handsome demeanor. She had a strange way of speaking, but it was that odd mannerism that many found so alluring. Her voice was also slightly deeper than average, which was yet another of her charm points. She spoke with so much melodrama, causing anyone watching to truly believe she was reciting a love confession.

The breeze picked up again, waving the stray hairs of an onlooker who hid in the shadows. Underneath a small bridge that was adjacent to the modest stage, a feminine figure lingered with a lovelorn expression, and sighed.

She sat atop a rock that stuck out from the deep sea, attempting to stay in the shadows while she watched the performance from afar. She did not have legs like those of whom she watched—instead, she had a long, peach coloured tail that stretched down into a fin-like shape. It was covered in fish-like scales, and her waist was embroidered with pristine pearls. Though she did not wear clothing, her chest was covered in creamy peach scales, similar to that of her tail. It was also adorned with various pieces of minuscule cut circular morganite gemstones.

“Ahhh, her voice is so soothing...” The girl cooed, cupping her cheeks in her palms.

Her emerald green eyes glistened as she continued to watch the recital from a distance. Sitting contently without being seen, the girl’s tiny pigtails swayed in the breeze.

“Kaoru, your line was a bit too early.”

The girl eyed the new face that spoke, her long blonde hair blowing into her face when the breeze picked up. She had a calm but strict demeanor that matched her rich purple eyes.

“My apologies, Chisato. I will endeavor to speak at the correct time!”

“Her name is Kaoru, huh?” The girl questioned.

The figure smiled shyly, moving her cupped hands to tuck away some stray hairs behind her ear. She moved to a more comfortable position atop the large rock she sat upon, her tail slapping against its smooth surface.

“Let’s do this again. Everyone, take your places!” Chisato announced.

Many of the figures gathering around the stage began to move, a choice few walking towards the place where the girl was hiding.

Noticing the sudden movement, her fin-like ears perked up as she dove into the water to escape detection. The morganite jewels adorning her chest twinkled as they entered the sea, fading as the girl resurfaced upon swimming far enough out.

“Whew, that was close…” She sighed. “I guess I should go home for today.”

Diving back into the water, she spun her tail behind her, swimming deeper and deeper into the sea. “I wonder if she’ll be here tomorrow at the same time...”

* * *

  _Bzzt, bzzt. Bzzt, bzzt._

An incessant vibrating sound wrestled Kaoru’s eyes open. Her hair had shifted in her sleep so that most of it was on top of her head and pouring down onto the front of her face. Groggily, she moved it so that she could see, throwing off the bed sheet that was over top of her body while groaning. Checking the vibrating sound that was indeed coming from her phone, she turned the screen on to turn the alarm off.

‘ _6:09am…_ ’

Still groaning, Kaoru sat up on her bed, slicking back all the hair in her face as she held her other hand in front of her to block out the rays of light that were pouring into her bedroom. She squinted, letting out a long, tired yawn.

The pajamas she was wearing had shifted in her sleep—the strap of her tank top had shifted down past her shoulder, and her shorts were twisted around her waist. Managing to move her hands to adjust her clothes, she slowly peeped her eyes open to stare at the sun shining in through her bedroom window.

“Looks like another glorious day!” She beamed.

Finally moving off of her bed, Kaoru grabbed an elastic from atop her nearby dresser, and exited her room. She sluggishly made her way down the narrow hall to the bathroom, rubbing her eyes as she entered. She threw her hair up into a messy ponytail—trying to keep her bangs and long hairs out of her face—and began preparations to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth, Kaoru noticed the dark bags under her eyes and drooped her shoulders. After finishing washing her face, she grabbed some nearby foundation and concealer and began to apply it to her face. While it took a bit more concealer than she would normally use, the dark bags under her eyes vanished. Kaoru finished off her makeup quickly with a powder foundation and just a touch of mascara, while painting her lips with a nude coloured lipstick.

Afterwards, she grabbed a brush and headed back to her room, untying her hair on the way back. Once inside her bedroom once more, she put her brush down on her bed, and grabbed her school uniform from the back of her door and started to put it on. First the shirt, then the tie, the skirt, the jacket, and finally the socks.

After Kaoru was finished, she picked her brush back up and stood in front of the full-length mirror by her closet. She began to tie her hair back up in its usual fashion, making sure to brush it before putting it up so that it looked sleek. She made sure there were loose hairs on both the sides and at the back, as per usual. When she was done, she adjusted her jacket, grabbed her school bag, and headed for the entryway.

“I wonder what this marvelous day has destined for me?”

* * *

 “She’s really here again…! I’m so glad!”

The same lovestruck figure from the day previous had shown up to watch rehearsal again. She recognized the purple haired actress straight away, and locked her attention on her immediately.

“Kaoru…”

Kaoru showed up to practice a bit earlier than usual to go over her lines by herself before practice. She sat on the stage with her legs crossed, concentrating on her lines from the script. While she had no problems getting into character, she had a bit of a problem with timing!—so she decided to focus on that today.

“I need to wait at least a few seconds before saying this line…” She mumbled to herself, continuously practicing counting down from five in her head.

The girl in the sea kept her gaze locked on Kaoru as she practiced, becoming frustrated that she couldn’t see her well from her current location. Quietly, she dove into the water, travelling to a location a bit closer to her target, while still remaining hidden. She was careful to be as silent as possible when she surfaced, slowly positioning herself on a modest sized rock that jutted up from the sea.

Kaoru was still lost in her concentration and as such, was unaware of  any movement in the water below her. This allowed the girl who watched her to admire her soft but pronounced features without notice. Her eyes were sharp; her eyelashes long and silken; her cheekbones distinct; and her lips sleek and creamy. The girl began to feel her face heat up as she continued to admire Kaoru from afar, her cheeks shifting to a soft pink.

Kaoru’s focus was interrupted when the same blonde haired girl from the day before showed up, inquiring what she was up to.

Looking up from the script, Kaoru gently smiled at the girl. “Ah, Chisato! I was practicing my timing so that I may sharpen my acting.”

Chisato’s face swiftly changed to surprise, as she tucked in some hair that had blown away in the breeze. “I’m impressed, Kaoru. But how exactly are you practicing timing?”

Kaoru smirked. “I’m practicing counting five seconds in my head so that I may not be so quick.”

Chisato sighed heavily. “Well, I guess it’s something…” Pausing, she nodded her head off in the opposite direction. “The rest of the cast and crew should be here soon. Let’s do our best today, okay?”

Kaoru nodded, closing her script and walking off in the opposite direction with Chisato to meet everyone.

It only took a few minutes before the platform was crawling with people once again, all chattering amongst themselves and rehearsing their parts. Kaoru and Chisato were still together, going over lines and various expressions. The girl in the sea continued to watch, her bright green eyes fixed on Kaoru.

“Chisato, you must use from ‘ _oomph_ ’, as they say.” Kaoru preached, pointing a finger in Chisato’s face.”You will not convince me of your affections otherwise!”

Chisato sighed, putting a hand on her hip. She stared off into the distance, nearly rolling her eyes. “Show me what this ‘ _oomph_ ’ is.” She put emphasis on oomph, as if in a mocking fashion.

“Like so!” Kaoru cleared her through before continuing. “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” She belted out, dramatically holding out her hand towards Chisato, whom just smiled.

“Your talent always astonishes me, Kaoru.”

Kaoru laughed, retracting her hand. “Thank you, my darling kitten.”

Chisato let loose a bit of a disgusted smile, shifting her focus to the script in her hand. “I think I’ll practice this ‘ _oomph_ ’ in my spare time, but for now I want to memorize my lines.”

Kaoru nodded as Chisato walked towards the left side of the stage, leaving her alone. She adjusted the hair in front of her face, averting her attention to the calm sea. It was so tranquil today, which filled Kaoru with a great serenity. The sea water had a unique aroma to it, which couldn’t be captured perfectly in words—it was a scent that could only be found in Jeulit. Fresh, warm, and heavenly, with just a hint of sulfur.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kaoru noticed something strange. She blinked in curiosity, noticing some kind of figure nestled on a rock that stuck out from the sea. When she looked closer, she noticed it was a girl who looked to be close to her age. The first thing she observed was the girl’s long, fin-like tail that was slightly dipped into the water. She couldn’t see her perfectly, but the girl looked astonishingly beautiful, which piqued Kaoru’s interest.

She slowly walked towards the edge of the platform and closer to the girl, noticing her lively emerald green eyes that seemed to be focused on her. She knelt down, attempting to be more on her level. “Excuse me, my dearest princess. May I have your name?”

The girl in the water was suddenly released from her trance, realizing the actress she was watching was suddenly speaking to her. Panicking, her face turned red, words refusing to form or come out of her mouth. She wasn’t sure what to do in her panicked state, but found her body running on autopilot as she rushed back into the water and far away from the situation.

Watching the waves ripple where the girl had dove in, Kaoru felt small drops of water dampen her cheeks. Her eyes were fixated on where the girl had just been, entranced on her the entire time.

Wiping the water from her cheeks, Kaoru whispered, “I will find you, princess of the sea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huhuhu, I have been planning this for about a week now! I'm very excited to finally get the first chapter out. Would like to thank sleepy me who just made a note on my phone at 6am that read "kaohima mermaid au" because I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.


	2. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaoru attempts to track down the beautiful mermaid she encountered.

Nighttime had descended upon Jeulit. The clouds encompassing the sky had cleared, allowing the dull moonlight from the crescent shaped moon to envelop the town. The streets were dimly lit by spaced out street lamps, making it difficult to see very far. Kaoru had yet to return home—she wandered aimlessly around the dark streets, hoping to find any kind of clue as to where she could locate the breathtaking girl from the sea she had encountered earlier.

Without any such luck after scouring for hours, she sighed and resigned herself to return home.

The walk back to her seaside home was a long one, which gave rise to plenty of thoughts as Kaoru walked down the streets. She attempted fix her gaze on the brick patterns of the pathway she walked to chase away said thoughts, passively admiring the beautiful silver colour of the brick. Small patches of grass jutted through the small breaks in brick, which were usually bright green but only looked dull in the dim light. The bricks lining the path were small, with small cracks in a handful of them from being walked on so many a time. The sound of Kaoru’s shoes hitting the pavement made a powerful _click, clack_ sound, alerting anyone nearby of her presence. _As if anyone would be nearby._

_‘Why did she run away, I wonder? Er, I guess, swim away? Was it something about me that scared her? I don’t think I’m scary looking…’_

Kaoru continued to try and wrangle all the thoughts popping into her head, and _oh god there were so many_ . She just couldn’t stop thinking about the girl she encountered and how _desperately_ she wanted to see her again. _What’s her name, how old is she, does she go to school, does she eat fish or is that, like, taboo?_

Upon finally arriving at her front doorstep, Kaoru sighed, digging out her keys from her school bag and opening the door. As she walked into her home and took off her shoes, her thoughts finally relaxed when her eyes began to burn from exhaustion.

She probably shouldn’t have stayed out this late but _geez that girl is so worth it_. Maybe she’ll find answers tomorrow. Kaoru really hoped she’d find answers tomorrow.

Or, I guess today? It was past midnight. Eh, 2am ain’t _that bad,_ is it?

* * *

 The next day Kaoru rolled out of bed at a late hour, her head slightly pounding from a sudden change in her sleep schedule. She wasn’t used to staying up so late but at least she was able to sleep in. Thanks Sunday! She winced at the sunlight pouring into her room, closing her curtains so that she could see without being blinded by light.

She rubbed her eyes and looked at the digital clock on her bedside table.

_‘11:01am, huh?’_

It was outrageously late for Kaoru to just be rolling out of bed, but her lack of energy caused her to not care too much. She let out a loud, tired yawn and dragged herself to the bathroom to get ready for the day. She had to put on a ridiculous amount of concealer today, but even it couldn’t mask the incredibly dark circles under her eyes. Her exhaustion was so obvious.

_Whatever._

She had a long day ahead of her, still determined to continue to search the village for clues of the sea dwelling beauty she had become so enamored with.

She quickly put on some casual clothes, which consisted of a white button-up t-shirt and black shorts. Quickly throwing her belongings into a handbag, she slipped on some sandals and headed out.

* * *

 Jeulit was bustling as usual for a Sunday, many the people out with their families for a day of fun and relaxation. Kaoru smiled seeing all the children that unashamedly ran around with smiles on their faces, chasing shadows and quite obviously being taxing their parents.

But that wasn’t why Kaoru was here!—she was here to find a girl.

“Did you hear about the mayor’s daughter?” She heard some nearby women whispering near a vendor’s stall. “She keeps running around talking about how mermaids are real. What a weird girl.”

_Perfect!_

Finding the mayor’s daughter wouldn’t be too difficult—she was always by the docks on a Sunday, trying to coo the dolphins into visiting her. The nearby fishermen always gave her fish to feed them, and she would spend the day there as a result. She did leave at sundown though, which imposed a bit of a time limit.

The women weren’t wrong about this girl being a bit weird, but… _eccentric_ was more a word that suited her. She was weird, but in a _fun_ way.

Kaoru quickly made her way to the docks, walking briskly to make efficient use of the limited time she had until sunset. She attempted not to bump into too many people, but given how busy and crowded the streets were, it was a bit difficult. She—of course—would always apologize if it happened, but continued on as soon as she was able.

Upon reaching the docks, the crowds thinned out significantly, giving Kaoru a clear view of the girl she was looking for. She was sitting down on the wooden dock, her legs dipped into the water as she held a fish in her hands in an attempt to entice the dolphins to her. Her long blond hair blew in the cool breeze, masking her face from view. She wore jean overalls and a red shirt, one strap undone that sat at her waist.

When Kaoru approached her, she quickly threw the fish she was holding into the water, which the dolphins gobbled up quite quickly.

“You’re Kokoro, correct?”

The girl turned around from her position and smiled, her bright yellow eyes now visible, dazzling in the sunlight. “That’s me! Who are you?”

Kaoru leaned down, resting one knee on the pavement near Kokoro. “My name is Kaoru. I—“

“Ohh, I know you!” Kokoro interrupted. “You’re the really good actress, right? The one that’s always performing those fancy plays?”

Kaoru nodded, proud that she was so well known. “Ah, yes, that is me. How fleeting it is to be recognized by such a beautiful princess such as yourself.”

“I don’t get it, but thanks!” Kokoro responded. “Is there something you needed, Kaoru?” She asked, _still_ smiling.

“I have heard that you have a similar belief as I, that creatures such as mermaids do indeed exist.” Kaoru started. “I would like to enlist your guidance in tracking one down, if you would be so kind.”

Kokoro’s pupils grew even larger than they already were, an even brighter sparkle shining through from the sunlight. “I would love that! I’m so glad you believe in them, too. I’ve never really tried to find one, but I’ll do everything I can!”

Kaoru smiled, moving from her position to stand, and offered Kokoro her hand. “Very well then. Shall we embark on this treacherous journey together then?”

Kokoro only blinked, removing her feet from the water and standing up on her own. She quickly ran ahead of Kaoru, heading towards the docks that were further down the aisle. “Let’s go, Kaoru! You’re so slow.”

Retracting her hand, Kaoru cocked her head. “Do you… not wear shoes?”

* * *

 Despite all their searching down at the docks, neither Kaoru nor Kokoro made any progress in tracking down any kind of mermaid. None of the fishermen seemed to believe they even existed, lest seen one themselves.

“I can’t believe anyone hasn’t seen one!” Kokoro huffed, leaning back on a nearby railing. “How can fishing even be exciting without mermaids?”

Kaoru let out a small laugh, but sighed heavily not long afterwards. She joined Kokoro in leaning against the nearby railing, running her fingers through her hair, and twirling strands that were left dangling on the sides. “We’ll just have to keep looking—“

“Oh! Over there!” Kokoro interjected, pointing at a girl that had just walked into the area. Her hair was a dark red, and was tied up into a messy ponytail. She wore a simple outfit that consisted of a tank top that just exposed her midriff, and a pair of to-the-knee shorts. “We haven’t asked her yet, let’s go!”

Without even a second to parse the information, Kokoro lept up from her position and ran towards the girl. She was obviously quite surprised at Kokoro’s sudden presence, especially when Kokoro didn’t even announce who she was.

Kaoru made her way over to the two of them when she noticed what had transpired, attempting to fill this stranger in on what was happening and why this girl was suddenly in her face.

“Please do not be frightened, stranger.” Kaoru started, touching her palm to her chest. “My name is Kaoru, and this eccentric girl here is Kokoro. We are inquiring as to whether any fishermen have perchance seen a creature known as a mermaid. I know that may seem silly—“

“Oh, you don’t mean Himari do you?” The girl asked.

Kaoru blinked, surprised at the response. “I beg your pardon?”

“Ah, maybe you don’t know her name.” She started. “There’s a mermaid I talk to on occasion named Himari. She comes into town every once in a while to chat. I met her on one of my excursions to the far away sea!” The stranger boasted, a proud smile forming on her face.

Realizing she hadn’t given her name, she quickly added onto her answer before Kaoru could respond. “Oh, and my name is Tomoe!”

“Tomoe-chan… does she have pink hair that she wears in pigtails?” Kaoru asked.

“Oh yeah, that’s her! She’s really… pink.” Tomoe chuckled. “We’ve been meeting up for a few years now.”

Kaoru’s eyes widened, excited at the chance to possibly find the girl she had been looking for. “Is there any way I can meet her, perchance?”

Tomoe nodded her head. “Yeah sure, no problem! I saw her a couple days ago actually—she was telling me about some kind of actress she was watching.”

Hearing that, Kaoru was almost certain that this girl was the one she was trying to find. Hopefully this Tomoe would be able to arrange a meeting so the two could finally meet again.

“Himari…? What a beautiful name. It simply radiates beauty, as if the stars themselves had aligned at her birth to bless such a princess as herself with splendour!” Kaoru hummed, mostly to herself.

Tomoe laughed nervously, as if sensing maybe allowing Himari to meet this Kaoru person wasn’t the best idea. She couldn’t back out of it now though, she’d already committed! _Haha, h’oh boy._

“Does this mean I helped?” Kokoro piped up. She really wanted to help! She loves helping! _Please tell me I helped!!_

“Indeed, my princess.” Kaoru answered, grinning. “You have been of immeasurable assistance. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Kokoro smiled, glee radiating off of her.“I’m so glad I could help, Kaoru! If you ever need my assistance again, feel free to call on me. I love to see people happy! Bye bye for now!”

“Wait!” Kaoru exclaimed, quickly stopping Kokoro before she could skip away. “Would you do me the honour of sticking around, my kitten? I wish for your friendship and support during this time.”

Kokoro nodded, continuing to smile. She was so happy she was able to help, and hoped she could make Kaoru even happier by sticking around!

“Well, you want to meet her, right?” Tomoe asked, bringing Kaoru’s attention back to her. “I can bring you along when I meet her tonight.”

“Yes.” Kaoru replied. “Without a doubt.”

* * *

 The place where Tomoe always met up with Himari was just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the docks. It was a secluded area, past the main vendor stalls and away from all of the docked ships. It was down a long, narrow pier that led to what was supposed to be an isolated spot that was ideal for wrangling in fish that lived further into the sea.

There were a couple of barrels on the path, near the end of the pier. Kaoru and Kokoro crept behind them steathfully, sitting as close and hunched over as possible so they could not be seen. _Owww, my back…_

Tomoe walked freely to the end of the pier, smiling when she spotted the pink tuft of hair in the water approaching her position.

As she waited for Himari to arrive, Tomoe slipped her sandals off, dipping her feet into the water. The warm sea felt _so good_ on her feet immediately after dipping them in, especially after such a long day of work.

“Tooooomooooooe!”

Tomoe laughed hearing the exaggerated spin on her name, and swung her legs closer to the pier. “I’m right here Himari, you don’t need to yell!”

Himari giggled, approaching Tomoe in the water. Only her shoulders could be seen from above the sea, so whenever Himari brought her hands up there was a light splash. “You spent today working in the village, right? You didn’t overwork yourself, did you?”

Tomoe sighed, shaking her head. “You really don’t need to be so concerned, Himari… I’m fine. I got my work done so I can rest tomorrow before I prepare for my next trip out to sea.”

Puffing up her cheeks, Himari groaned. “You can’t blame me for being concerned when you collapsed a couple months ago!”

Tomoe sighed, admitting defeat. She knew she wouldn’t be able to stop Himari from worrying, no matter what angle she tried to use. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry that’s still troubling you, but that’s why I’m taking it easy!”

Tomoe paused, knowing she needed to attempt to convey Kaoru’s intentions somehow. She tried to find the right words to express what she wanted to say, but it took some time. Himari cocked her head, patiently awaiting what Tomoe wanted to say. It sure wasn’t like her to dwell on something so long! _What’s up, Tomoe?_

“Anyway, uh.” Tomoe started, still unsure if she was wording what she wanted to convey correctly. “I know this is going to sound weird—and it’s completely out of the blue, and probably confusing…”

_You can do it, Tomoe!_ “What’s up?” Himari asked cheerfully, trying to let her friend know she was content with waiting for whatever it is she wanted to say.

“There’s someone that wants to meet you.”

“Eh? Who?” Himari questioned.

“She’s… a friend. I don’t want to say much more than that, but she seems quite interested in you.”

“Oh, okay! Meeting one of Tomoe’s friends should be fun.” Himari responded, swimming back and letting the fin of her tail rise above the surface of the water.

“I’m going to go for a little walk so you two can speak privately! She’ll be here shortly.” Tomoe announced, picking her feet up and out of the water. She slipped her sandals on with finesse and walked down and off of the pier, and it wasn’t long before she was out of sight.

Breathing heavily, Kaoru took one last deep exhale before standing up and making her way to where Tomoe had previously been sitting. She walked slowly, her hair blowing in the cool breeze that had picked up. When she could see Himari in her sights, she smiled coyly, winking in the girl’s direction.

“We meet again, my princess.”

“Eeeeh!?” Himari cried out, her eyes widening. Her cheeks quickly flushed a bright pink in colour, and her heartbeat sped up momentarily. “Wh-What are you doing here…?”

Kaoru sat down on the pier where Tomoe had previously, crossing her legs as she peered down at Himari, who had moved from her position to be a bit further away. “You don’t need to be frightened!”

Kaoru was panicking, but attempted to keep her cool so that she didn’t scare Himari away even more. “I swear to you, I carry no ill intent. I simply had… an unquenchable desire to gaze upon your beauty once more.”

Nervously moving a bit closer to the pier where Kaoru sat, Himari shyly looked up at Kaoru. “A-Ah, you certainly have a way with words…” Himari confessed, attempting to wrangle her pounding chest into submission so that she could _talk like a goddamn normal person. Chill out!_

“You really wanted to see me that badly?” She asked curiously.

Gaining her composure back, Kaoru nodded firmly, pushing herself slightly closer to the edge of the pier. “My thoughts simply would not allow me to forget you since our encounter that glorious day. Indeed, it was so glorious because of our meeting! Such a fleeting circumstance…”

The sound of Kaoru’s voice made Himari quiver—the oddities and peculiar way she spoke had her feeling like she was going to melt into the sea and become foam. Keeping her composure was just, hm, not gonna happen. “I-I’m really flattered, Kaoru—um.” She trailed off, not only attempting to discern what honorific she should use to address Kaoru, but also in a vain attempt to remain cool despite Kaoru not revealing her name.

“—s-san. Did you… practice again today?”

Kaoru smiled and shook her head, moving her legs to dangle off the edge of the pier as she grew amusement from Himari knowing her name. “No. However, practice will resume tomorrow, when the sun has risen high into the sky.”

“A-Ah.” Himari stuttered, attempting to act like she totally didn’t come into town attempting to find her again. _Not at all, definitely not, and for sure didn’t want to see her again, nope._

“Do you go to school like Tomoe does, by any chance?”

“Indeed.” Kaoru answered. “Though I did not have classes on this day, I unfortunately must return tomorrow when the sun does sorrowfully rise.” She paused before continuing, attempting to remain as charming as was typical of her. “Alas, being that I am in my final year, I cannot afford to remain aloof in my studies. Perchance, do you attend school as well, Himari-chan?”

Himari nodded, taking note of Kaoru’s status as an upperclassman. Himari also took pleasure in Kaoru knowing her name. Phew, so this _isn’t as awkward_ as previously thought! “Y-Yeah! It’s boring but at least my friends are there!”

Himari paused, a little embarrassed at the question she was about to ask. Finding the right words was sure a hell of a task. “That… blonde haired girl you talk to—are you friends?” Totally not gonna use her name despite knowing it because _that might be kinda creepy… Wait, isn't telling her this also creepy!?_

“Ah, Chisato-chan. Yes, indeed! I have had the pleasure of knowing such a girl since I was but a child.” Kaoru let out a small sigh shortly after finishing her answer, as if in displeasure. “We are friends, as you would say, however—there is a distance between us I cannot bridge despite my best efforts. It seems she does not appear to fancy my formal way of speech…”

Okay, so they’re _not_ dating? She’s single, right? Wait, _why does that even matter?_ “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that!” Himari flustered out. “I-I really like it, personally… Your voice is really—“

Himari noticed Kaoru had suddenly looked away, her head turned to the side so that she was unable to see her face. “Are you... okay? Kaoru-senpai?”

Hearing Himari compliment her so suddenly caught Kaoru off guard, causing her cheeks to heat up. After a few moments however, she managed to regain her composure and spun her head back around. “My apologies, dearest kitten! I was simply awestruck that you would so sincerely compliment me so. Hearing such a thing from one as beautiful as yourself simply made my heart sing.”

Himari’s cheeks continued to flush, struck by Kaoru’s elegant and straightforward speech. “Ah, well—“

“Psst, Kaoru!” Tomoe suddenly whispered, abruptly appearing behind where Kaoru was sitting. “It’s starting to get crowded…”

Kaoru looked behind Tomoe, noticing that crowds were starting to build close to their location. Not wanting Himari to be seen—lest she risk being a spectacle for the townsfolk—Kaoru decided to swiftly end their conversation.

“Would you like to speak again, Himari-chan? Somewhere quieter?” She whispered, just loud enough that Himari could hear.

“Y-Yes! Please!” She pleaded—also whispered—not wanting for this moment to be the last she would see of the handsome actress she had fallen for.

Kaoru smiled, quick on her wits to think of a spot to meet. “There is a modest beach situated on the other side of town. Have you seen it, perchance?”

Himari nodded.

“It is rarely visited during the hours of late evening. May I request a meeting at such a location?” Kaoru asked.

“S-Sure!” Himari replied. She was so eager to see Kaoru again—it didn't matter where! Please, _I just want to talk to her more_ , she's so beautiful—

“Splendid. Shall we meet tomorrow when the moon rises high in the sky?”

Himari nodded, but wasn’t entirely sure what… time that would be exactly. She was a mermaid, not a forest fairy! “I’d love to! But, uh, what… time would that be exactly?”

“A-Ah, um, midnight works…” Kaoru answered, her suave facade fading away upon realizing she gave such a vague time. _You doofus._

Himari smiled, waving goodbye as she swam away and down in the sea.  "Oh my gosh! I can’t wait to see her again!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally got the next chapter up! I will fill this ship tag by myself if I have to.


End file.
